The 2006 NPC Border States Classic Bodybuilding, Figure & Fitness Contest Review By Ian L. Sitren. All the way from Budapest, Hungary we had competitor Steve Namat who went on to win the overall!

Contest Review

Still Going At The NPC Border States Classic by Ian L. Sitren, SecondFocus.

It might be coming up on the end of the year but there is no lack of enthusiasm in the NPC. This NPC Border States Classic in Anaheim, California still brought out a lot of first time competitors and a field of quality athletes. I met a lot of really good people at this show. And it is interesting to note what I heard very often from a lot of these first time and repeat competitors, many of whom came a long distance to this show.

What I heard is that they came to be in a Jon Lindsay show. That's right, not because it was close, not because of the timing or anything else. People had heard and seen that Jon puts on a quality show with a lot of quality competitors and these athletes wanted to be a part of it. So I guess we can say that Jon is a great show producer, maybe we need a Jon Lindsay fan club!

Click Image To Enlarge.Jon Lindsay.

A Halloween parade did cause a traffic delay but the crowd made it in with a lot of energy. The show will be moved a week next year to eliminate any parade conflicts. And I think we had another first; we had a group of lady fans who had arrived by limo who solved the delay problem by going back out to the limo for another pre show cocktail.

And I am pretty sure there wasn't any protein powder or liquid egg whites in any of them. They did invite myself and my partner for the day, Bob Cicherillo, to join them. But we had to decline, we were on duty for BodyBuilding.com!

Click Image To Enlarge.Bob Cicherillo.

Sponsors:

A number of our favorite companies were in the lobby as usual passing out samples, doing some drawings and handing out t-shirts and stuff. Mac from Egg Whites International had a free drawing going on, John Scott's Nitro is always good for some good goings on, Sherry Goggins from Pinnacle was there (that woman is always hot), Vyotech and Hot - Rox and others.

It is always worthwhile to get up off your couch and come out to a show in person. And of course BodyBuilding.com is always at shows giving out freebies.

Men's Overall Winner:

All the way from Budapest, Hungary we had competitor Steve Namat who went on to win the overall. Steve is only 23 but he has already won the 2004 overall Hungarian Championship. he is the youngest competitor ever to win that competition. He was here as a light heavyweight at 195 pounds and 5' 7" tall.

Click Image To Enlarge.Steve Namat.

Overall Figure Contest Winner:

Our overall figure winner was Jennifer Shott from Las Vegas. Jennifer was in class "C" and came in at 125 pounds at 5' 5" tall and she is a 31 year old physical trainer and hairdresser. This is her 8th competition having done her first show 3 years ago. Jennifer has done the Las Vegas Classic and the USA and is looking to making a big showing at the USA 2007.

She tells me that she has always been physically fit and active since being a high school cheerleader. When Jennifer started weight lifting, she enjoyed the way it made her look and feel and before you know it she was looking for more of a challenge. So entering competitions gave her the edge and the goal she was looking for. Jennifer said she felt really good about winning her class this time but winning the overall was a big surprise to her and made her very proud.

Jennifer has a 6 year old daughter that has learned a heathy lifestyle from mom and thinks that good eating and exercise and just a normal part of the day and life. By the way some of Jennifer's prep for this show included eating 6 times per day, cutting the carbs and as she said, a little more cardio in her workouts at the Las Vegas Athletic Club.

Now we always talk about the winners, but what is it like to come in second place you might ask. No Ronnie Coleman was not there and I have not talked to him since the Olympia. But I did talk to the Border States 2006, second place novice heavyweight winner, Geoff Etherson. So I guess Geoff and Ronnie have a lot in common this year, although I think Ronnie has a couple of pounds on Geoff.

Click Image To Enlarge.Geoff Etherson.

Geoff may look familiar to a few of you because he has been an assistant for the FitShow right here on BodyBuilding.com. Being around the FitShow gave Geoff the bug to do a competition. At 23, this resident of Anaheim is a trainer at 24 Hour Fitness and has also worked for our friends at Egg Whites International. He has played some college football but started lifting as a freshman in high school.

Geoff says he kept lifting because of the way it makes him feel and look. But he got his real boost to enter the world of competition when he met Marcello at the famous Koloseum gym owned by Milos Sarcev. Marcello gave Geoff some training and diet hints and advice that sent Geoff on a two year journey on his way to his first competition.

And that first competition would be the 2006 Border States. On the way, Geoff learned to do a lot of supersets and as he got closer, to cut his carbs. Cardio was primarily walking uphill on a treadmill and he added fat burners to his supplements. In three months before the show he came down from 230 to 211 on show day at 6' 1" tall. Three weeks out, Geoff started working on a routine. He always knew that he wanted to pose to "Wasted Years" by Cold ever since he saw Jay Cuter pose to it.

Geoff says he found it very inspirational. So for three weeks he practiced doing different poses at home. In the category of don't wait until the last minute, on the day of the show, Geoff had trouble burning his music to CD. That made him miss the athlete's meeting but he did make the weigh in. He says he was nervous and was still holding a lot of water. But during judging he maintained his focus and was pretty sure he came in first or second.

During the break, Geoff tried eating something but that just made him sick. All he says he wanted was some water but that was out. The night show was a little less of a nervous time for him and he says all of the guys were really helpful to each other with color and getting ready. And Geoff says it was "really cool" that he had a lot of support in the audience from his girlfriend and friends in the audience.

Posing went easy because of all of the practice and he really enjoyed the experience. As for coming in second place, Geoff says he was really excited and completely happy. He does plan on going on with more competitions but wants to pack on some size and come in at 220 for the next one. And by the way, about that rumor that muscles gets the girls, you should see Geoff's girlfriend Hannah! And I expect you will because I will be doing some photo shoots with Hannah before too long. So keep watching.

Upcoming Events:

Only a couple of more shows this year for me. I will be off to the Nationals in Miami just next week. If you are in the area, get out there.

This is a big time qualifier and we are going to see some serious competition. You will see Lionel Brown looking to pick up his Pro Card. And the "L-Train" was just here guest posing at the Border States giving us a preview of what he will be bringing. I can assure you it will be a good show! And then on December 2nd we have the Excalibur in Los Angeles (Culver City).

This is another Jon Lindsay show so we know it will be fun. So like I always say come on out to the shows and support your sport. You will learn a lot, get motivated and have a good time. See you soon and keep coming back to BodyBuilding.com for the best show coverage anywhere.